Third-rail electric-railway system.



No. 756,757. PATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

J. n. WILKENS.

THIRD RAIL ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1903.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1903.

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Patented April 5, 1904.

UNiTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. WVILKENS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

THIRD-RAIL ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 756,757, dated April 5,1904:.

Application filed July 24, 1903. Serial No. 166,827. (No model.)

ments in Third-Rail Electric-Railway Systoms, of which the following isa specification.

The invention relates to that type of electric railway systems commonlytermed third rail, in which the current is taken from a suspendedconductor or rail by a traveling contact or pick-up shoe and transmittedto the motor on the car.

The objects of the invention are to improve the construction of thehousing or shell within which the rail or conductor is suspended, toimprove the support for the housing or shell and the feed-wire forsupplying the current to the rail or conductor, to improve the travelingcontact or pick-up shoe, and to improve generally the construction andoperation of the several appliances which enter into the system as awhole.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top or plan view showing the casing orconduit for the third rail or conductor, the rails of arailway, and atruck of a car; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1with the casing or conduit for the rail or conductor left out in frontof the truck to show the traveling contact or pick-up shoe; Fig. 3, anend elevation with the casing or conduit, the insulatingblock, and therail or conductor in section; and Fig. 4, a sectional elevation of thetraveling contact or pick-up shoe.

The casing or conduit within which is sustained the rail or conductoroverhangs from standards A, which standards may be made of any suitablemetal or material, and each standard has a base-plate a and a head. a,and the standards are firmly secured to the ties of the railway by bolts(4 passing through the baseplate a and entering the tie.

The casing, shell, or conduitB is constructed of any suitable metal ormaterial and is made in two sections or halves, each section or half ofa side plate 6 and an upper flange Z), and the two sections are unitedto form a complete whole by bolts 6 passing through the flanges b andentering into the heads a of the standards, a bolt 6 being provided toenter the head of each standard, and, if desired, intermediate bolts maybe used, passing through the flanges b in the length of the shell orconduit B between the standards.

At suitable lengths in the casing or conduit B is locatedinsulating-blocks C, made of any suitable and insulating material suchas hard rubber, for instanceand these blocks are supported on lugs orsteps 0, formed on the inner face of the side plates Z) of the shell orconduit. The block C maybe made in two halves or sections, or they maybe made in a continuous piece, and each block is entered onto thebase-flanges (Z of the rail or conductor D, so that when the blocks arein the casing or shell the rail D will be suspended within the casing orconduit with its head (Z downward and in position to be engaged by thetraveling contact or pick-up shoe for transmitting the current to themotor on the car. The current is supplied to the rail or conductor D atsuitable points along the line by a feed-wire located in a tube E, whichtube is supported by the standards A, for which purpose the standardsare provided with one or more holes 6 for the passage of one or moretubes E, each tube containing an insulated feed-wire and each feed-wirebeing connected in any usual and well-known manner with the rail orconductor, such connection not being shown.

The standards A are to be located at such intervals apart as. willfurnish a support for the casing or conduit and hold the casing orconduit against sagging or bending betweenthe standards. These standardsalso furnish a support for the feed-wires for supplying the current tothe third rail or conductor, as well as a means for suspending thecasing or conduit and the rail or conductor. The casing, conduit, orshell B, made in two sections or halves, in connection with theinsulating-blocks, furnish a covering and support for the third rail orconductor that insures perfect protection against moisture from enteringonto the rail or conductor, as the side walls or plates with theiroutward flare will shed rain and m0is ture, preventing the same fromcoming in contact with the rail or conductor, and the insulating-blocksprevent the current on the rail or conductor from being transmitted tothe casing or conduit, thus protecting the casing or conduit againstbecoming electrified and rendering the casing or conduit harmless incase of human beings or animals accidentally or otherwise coming incontact therewith, and

this assurance of a perfect insulation for the shell or conduit is stillfurther effected by reason of the space between the rail or conductorand the conduit on all sides of the rail or conductor, which spacefurnishes a safeguard against the current leaving the rail or conduitand electrifying the casing or shell. The casing or conduit is open atthe bottom for access to the suspended rail or conductor, and bymaking-this casing or conduit in companion sections or halves theassembling of the casing or conduit and the supporting therein of therail or conductor is easily attained, it only being necessary to applythe insulating-blocks in proper position and then bring together the twosections or halves of the rail and attach them to the standards by thebolts 5 which overhangs the casing or conduit from the standards withthe rail or conductor therein and suspended therefrom.

The traveling contact or pick-up shoe consists of a metal block F,having a contact-face cross-curved, preferably, to fit the curve of thehead cl of the rail, or approximately so, and furnish a contact underall circumstances by which the current will be taken from the rail orconductor by the block. The block F is connected with a block or headGr, having a fixed relation, by links f, one end of each link beingattached to the shoe or block F by pivots f and the other end of thelinks being attached tothe fixed block or head G by pivots f, so thatthe shoe or block F has a free endwise movement on the swinging links bywhich it is free to rise and fall to conform to the inequalities orirregularities in the third rail or conductor, so as to maintain acontact between the rail or conductor and the shoe or block F by whichthe current will be picked up by the shoe or block. The pick-up shoe orblock F is held in its normally raised position by a coilspring 9, oneend of'which encircles a guidepin on an ear or head g, pivotallyattached to an ear g on the shoe or block F by a pin or pivot 9 and theother end of the spring encircles a-stud g on'the base-block or head G.The spring 9 by its yielding and flexible nature allows the pick-up shoeor block F to be depressed, and when the point of depression has passedthe spring acts and'returns the shoe or block F'to its normal or raisedposition, and the guide-pin on the ear G serves to prevent undue flexingor bending of the spring at the center in the depression of the shoe orblock. The links f on each side of the shoe or block and at each endthereof furnish a swinging connection for the shoe or block, and inorder to allow of the depression of theshoe or block end has a slot f soas to allow of a limited 7 play for the links in the rising-and-fallingmovement of the pick-up shoe or block. 1t

will be seen that by means of the swinging links and the spring thepick-up shoe or block F is free to rise and fall to a limited extent,

and this rising-and-falling movement enables the shoe to travel incontinuous contact with the third rail or conductor, as any irregularityor depression in the rail or conductor is provided for by the yield ofthe pick-up shoe or block F, and at the same time the contact-face ofthe pick-up shoe or block is maintained, as

the spring serves to hold the shoe or block incontact with the rail orconductor whether in its full-raised position or in its depressed p0sition, the spring having sufficient force to maintain contactirrespective of the position of the shoe or block. This pick-up shoe or,block by reason of its free mounting through the links and the supportfurnished by the spring makes an efficient pick-up shoe or travelingcontact which will conform to the face of the rail or conductor, thusinsuring the necessary contact for the pick-up shoe or block to receiveand transmit the current. The

fixed base-block or head G, as shown, is carried by an arm G, attachedto a cross-beam of the car-truck in the arrangement shown.

The truck is not shown in detail, but has side beams H of a trussformation, as shown, with a cross-beam H, to the end of which the arm Gis attached by the bolts 9 so as to bring the pick-up shoe or travelingcontact in alinement with the rail or conductor. The truck has wheels iton the ends of axles h, and the wheels run on the rails t of the track,which rails are secured to cross-ties I in any usual and well-knownmanner.

The system of the present invention is one possessing simplicity ofconstruction and efliciency in use. The standards furnish a support forthe feed-wires and also carry overhanging from their upper ends thecasing or conduit with the rail or conductor, making a very compact andstrong support and mounting for the feed wire or wires and the casing orconduit with the third rail or conductor, by which the parts are readilyaccessible. The feed-wires can be reached for repairs or otherwisewithout disturbing the conduit and the rail or conductor, and the railor conductor can be reached for repairs or otherwise without disturbingthe feed-wires except of course shutting ofi' the current, if necessary.The pivoted casing or conduit can be easily taken apart for access tothe rail or conductor or for other purposes, it only being necessary toremove the retaining-bolts, and there- 7 and made of two companionsections or halves,

and a rail or conductor suspended within the casing or conduit,substantially as described.

2. In an electric-railway system, the combination ofsupporting-standards, an overhanging casing or conduit carried by thestandards and made of two companion sections or halves, a rail orconductor suspended within the casing or conduit, and a tube mounted inthe standards and receiving a feed-wire, substantially as described.

3. In an electric-railway system, the combination ofsupporting-standards, each standard having at its upper end a head, anoverhanging casing or conduit carried by the standards and made of twocompanion sections or halves and attached to the heads of the standards,and a rail or conductor suspended within the casing or conduit,substantially as described.

4. In an electric-railway system, the combination ofsupporting-standards, each standard having at its upper end a head, anoverhanging casing or conduit carried by the standards and made of twocompanion sections or halves, each section or half consisting of a sideWall or plate and a top flange, and the casing or conduit attached tothe standards by its top flange, and a rail or conductor suspendedwithin the casing or conduit, substantially as described.

5. In an electric-railway system, the combination ofsupporting-standards, each standard having at its upper end a head, anoverhanglng casing or conduit carried by the standards and made of twocompanion sections or halves, each section or half consisting of' a sidewall or plate and a top flange, bolts passing through the flanges of thesections or halves and entering the ends of the standards, uniting thesections or halves of the casing or conduit to each other and to thestandards, and a rail or conductor suspended within the casing orconduit, substantially as described.

6. In an electric-railway system, the combination ofsupporting-standards, an overhanging casing or conduit carried by thestandards and made of two companion sections or halves,insulating-blocks supported within the casing or conduit, and a rail orconductor suspended by the insulating-blocks within the casing orconduit, substantially as described.

7. In an electric-railway system, the combination ofsupporting-standards, an overhanging casing or conduit carried by thestandards and made of two companion sections or halves,insulating-blocks supported Within the casing or conduit, a rail orconductor suspended by the insulating-blocks within the casing orconduit, and a tube mounted in the standards and receiving a i'eedwire,substantially as described.

8. In an electric-railway system, the combination ofsupporting-standards, an overhanging casing or conduit carried by thestandards and made of two companion sections or halves, each section orhalf consisting of a side wall or plate and a top flange, bolts passingthrough the flanges of the two sections or halves and entering the endsof the standard uniting the sections or halves of the casing or conduitto each other and to the standard, insulatingblocks within the casing orconduit, a rail or conductor suspended by the insulating-blocks withinthe casing or conduit, and atube mounted in the standards and receivinga feed-wire, substantially as described.

JOHN D. WILKENS.

WVitnesses:

OSCAR W. Bonn, WALKER BANNING.

